This invention relates to golf bag covers used to protect golf clubs during rain and other wet weather conditions.
Golfers enjoy playing golf in almost any kind of weather, often encountering rain or other inclement conditions during a game. If they decide to finish a game in spite of bad weather, it would be advantageous to provide some sort of protection for their golf clubs, otherwise the club handles get wet and slippery, making the clubs bard to hold and control. In addition, the clubs themselves may be damaged. It is, therefore, very desirable for golfers to have an emergency cover stowed in their golf bag that can be retrieved and placed over the end of the golf bag to protect the clubs and keep them dry in the event of sudden bad weather.
There are many golf bag covers presently on the market intended to help the golfer in bad weather. However, all of these covers lack one or more desirable features. U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,171 to Summers et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,937 to Delauder offer designs that are rigid body enclosures providing protection for the golf clubs when the covers are closed and good visibility of the clubs when the covers are open, but their rigid design does not let them be easily stowed in the golf bag. U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,623 to Webster, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,442 to Bevier, U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,259 to Treadway, U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,004 to Very, U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,632 to Clower, U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,133 to Whitlow, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,025 to Berge all offer designs made of flexible materials that offer varying stowage capabilities and some of the covers are made of transparent materials that offer a degree of club visibility, but all of these designs allow the material of which the cover is made to drape over and sometimes even cling to the clubs themselves. This reduces club visibility and makes removing and replacing them difficult. It would be much more desirable if the cover provided a fixed open space around the clubs precluding the possibility of material draping over or clinging to them, and a top that, when open, exposed the entire end of the clubs, but that would also allow easy stowage in the golf bag. It is apparent, therefore, that a better golf bag cover that provides all the desirable features is needed.
A golf bag comprising a body and a cover is disclosed. The cover protects the open end of the golf bag body during inclement weather conditions keeping the clubs contained within the golf bag body from getting wet. The cover is small in size and can be easily stowed in a pocket of the golf bag body. It can be quickly retrieved, deployed and attached to the open end of the golf bag body when weather conditions demand. When in the deployed state attached to the golf bag body, the cover provides a large, hollow space cage around the golf clubs, providing full visibility with no materials draping over or obscuring the golf clubs. The top end of the cover is designed to open and close which allows full access to the clubs enabling easy removal and replacement through an opening equal to or greater in size than the opening in the golf bag body itself.
In one embodiment, the cover comprises a tubular section that has a diameter that will loosely fit over the open end of a golf bag body. It is made using a thin, clear plastic material. At least one foldable circular spring loop made of a thin gauged spring wire or other spring material is attached to the inside of the tubular section which forces the wall of the tubular section to expand outward to form a hollow cylinder or cage that encloses the golf clubs. An adjustable cord is placed around the circumference of the cylinder in the area where it slips over the golf bag that can be adjusted to make the cylinder conform and cling to the contour of the golf bag. In one embodiment, no foldable circular spring loops arc placed in this juncture area. In one embodiment the cylinder is made a sufficient height so that it is long enough to cover a longest golf club contained in the golf bag. The end of the cylinder opposite the golf bag juncture end is left open. A second cylinder, utilizing the same fabrication techniques as used for the first cylinder, namely the thin material and at least one foldable circular spring loop, is made to form a top to fit over the first cylinder. In one embodiment, the top is fixed to the first cylinder using a hinge so that the top can be opened and closed. Suitable materials are attached between the top and the cylinder so that a latching function fastening the top to the cylinder can be achieved when desired.
In one embodiment, the cover is prepared for stowage by closing the top and detaching the cover from the golf bag. The cover is then compressed using a downward pressure until the cylinder is flattened like an accordion. The result is a relatively thin, circular disk shape with the foldable circular spring loops forming the outer circumference. The right side of the foldable circular spring loops is then grasped with the right hand and the left side of the foldable circular spring loops is grasped with the left hand. All the foldable circular spring loops are then twisted in unison by rotating the right hand in a clockwise direction 90 degrees and the left band in a counterclockwise direction 90 degrees. The result is a shape that resembles a figure eight. The right half of the figure eight shape is then folded over the left half of the figure eight shape, resulting in a circular shape about one half the size of the original foldable circular spring loops. The folded cover is retained in this shape by using an elastic or rubber band or similar restraining device. The cover is now ready for stowage in the golf bag, its size being approximately one half the diameter of the original spring loops and being almost flat. In this state the cover requires very little space for stowage in the golf bag.
The cover may be deployed when needed by removing the restraining device, thus allowing the cover to immediately spring into its full size, forming the large, hollow space cage that will enclose the golf clubs. The deployed cover can then be slipped over the open end of a golf bag and secured in place by tightening the adjustable cord.
It can be readily seen that the cover overcomes the objectionable features of the prior art through the simple use of one or more foldable circular spring loops attached to tubular sections. The golf bag cover has a large, hollow space cage that allows unobstructed visibility of all of the golf clubs, with no material draping over them, plus a top that can be easily opened and closed. The golf bag cover can be folded into a small size for stowage when not needed. The transition from stowage to full use is simple and quick to accomplish. The golf bag cover can be attached to the golf bag body without the use of mechanical snaps or other such devices. The above and other features of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which: